Round-the-Clock Purple and Gold

Shaquille O'Neal calls Kobe Bryant 'greatest Laker of all time'

Here's one area of disagreement between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant that won't further fuel the divide between them: debating who deserves to be named the all-time greatest Laker.

Bryant has long insisted that Jerry West holds that honor for his role as both a player and a general manager. But O'Neal counters that the recognition should go to Bryant himself.

"Based on what he's done, he's probably the greatest Laker of all time,'" O'Neal said of Bryant on KTLA Monday to promote his book, "Shaq Uncut." "If he gets another championship, he'll tie with Kareem. That will put him up there."

Over the years, Shaq may have questioned Bryant's shot selection and taken digs at his personality, and the two sometimes have behaved too much like children. But even if Shaq's book details some of their well-documented spats, the Big Fella has never wavered in his admiration for Bryant's talent and work ethic.

"It's a different kind of great," O'Neal said of Bryant, who has five NBA titles and remains in sixth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list (27,868). "He had the skills to be an all-around player. I'm just a big man so I just do big-man stuff. I'm just in the big-man category."